Satellite pictures show super cyclone Amphan is raging across the sea at 270 kilometers per hour⁠— West Bengal and Odisha under ‘orange’ alert

• It is estimated to make landfall in West Bengal and Bangladesh in less than 28 hours by May 20 evening.
  
• Amphan is the strongest cyclone ever formed in the Bay of Bengal, surpassing the Odisha Cyclone of 1999 which moved at a speed of 260 kilometres per hour and killed 10,000 people.
  
• The Meteorological Department has warned of extensive damage in Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, South and North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts.
  
• Whereas 12 coastal districts in North Odisha have also been put on alert.
  
  

An extremely severe super cyclonic storm “Amphan” is moving towards the coast of West Bengal, Odisha and Bangladesh at a speed of 270 kilometers per hour — prompting authorities to evacuate the vulnerable areas. It is estimated to make landfall in West Bengal and Bangladesh in less than 28 hours by Wednesday (May 20) evening.



India Meteorological Department believes the intensity of the super cyclone before it makes a landfall near Ganges Delta.However, it will still have a maximum sustained wind speed of 165 to 175 kilometer per hour gusting up to 185 kilometer per hour, said the weatherman.


“The SUPER CYCLONE ‘AMPHAN’ over west-central Bay of Bengal, lay centered at 1730 hrs IST of today, the 18 th May, 2020 over west-central Bay of Bengal near latitude 14.0°N and longitude 86.3 °E, about 700 km nearly south of Paradip (Odisha),” said the India Meteorological Department.


Amphan is the strongest cyclone ever formed in the Bay of Bengal, surpassing the Odisha Cyclone of 1999 which moved at a speed of 260 kilometres per hour and killed 10,000 people. In the past India has witnessed three super cyclones. The cyclone will cause a massive storm surge — which can go as high as 30 feet.



The Meteorological (MeT) Department, which has issued an "orange message" for West Bengal, warned of extensive damage in Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, South and North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts.

Supercyclone Amphan is likely to cause heavy rainfall in coastal areas of West Bengal. Twelve coastal districts in North Odisha including Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore are also on high alert and will be affected.


National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 25 teams on the ground while 12 other teams are on standby. Another 24 NDRF teams are also on standby in different parts of the country.

Odisha, which witnessed Cyclone Fani last year, said it has prepared 809 cyclone shelters across 12 coastal districts. Moreover, 211 temporary medical camps are also set up for people returning back from around the country during the coronavirus outbreak. Apart from causing significant damage, the super cyclone is likely to cause a marginal delay in monsoon, said IMD.

"With maximum sustained winds at 160 mph and gusts up to 195 mph, this monster storm was the equivalent of a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale at last report and brings the potential for major destruction in the two countries," said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

SEE ALSO: NDRF deploys 37 teams of fight cyclone 'Amphan'